The subject matter of the present disclosure broadly relates to the art of firearms and, more particularly, to a buttstock assembly for a firearm that provides increased strength and/or performance in comparison with known buttstock constructions. A firearm that includes such a buttstock assembly and a method of assembling a firearm buttstock are also described.
It is generally believe to be desirable to reduce the weight of firearms that are hand carried as weapons, such as by military and/or law enforcement personnel, for example. This is advantageous because such weight reductions can permit additional equipment to be carried in place of the weight that has been eliminated. For example, firearm buttstocks have been developed that include compartments for carrying additional, alternative and/or replacement components for the firearm, such as additional batteries for an electronic instrument or laser sight, for example. Alternately, any weight reductions that are achieved can simply reduce the overall load that is being carried. This, of course, is also advantageous.
Many known buttstocks for firearms are produced from polymeric materials, rather than being constructed from metal. The use of polymeric materials can be beneficial for balancing factors such as weight of the buttstock assembly, manufacturing costs associated with the production of the buttstock assembly and performance characteristics of the buttstock assembly. As such, firearm buttstocks manufactured from polymeric materials are well known and widely used. Notwithstanding the common usage and overall success of such known polymeric buttstocks, some issues remain that undesirably effect the durability and robustness of firearm buttstocks formed from polymeric materials.
It is well known that firearm buttstocks are used as a bracing point to steady and control a firearm during use. For example, the buttstock is often used as a shoulder brace, such as when the weapon is being fired from a standing, sitting or kneeling position. For this reason, firearm buttstocks commonly include a cushion or butt pad that is secured on a distal end wall of the buttstock.
As another example, the buttstock can rested on a supporting surface to steady the firearm, such as when the firearm is being discharged from a prone position. It will be appreciated that any available supporting surface may be used under such conditions and that the supporting surface is often a hard, rough surface, such as dirt, rock or concrete, for example. Under these conditions, the bottom surface of the buttstock that is resting on the supporting surface can become worn due to abrasion and actions engagement with the hard, rough surface. Accordingly, it is desirable to develop a firearm buttstock assembly that is capable of providing improved wear performance and/or characteristics under such conditions of use. It is also believed desirable to provide such improved wear performance and/or characteristics without substantially increasing the weight of the buttstock assembly.
It is also well known that equipment carried by military and law enforcement personnel can be employed for a wide variety of alternative uses in addition to the primary purpose or use of the particular piece of equipment. In the case of a firearm, it will be appreciated that military and/or law enforcement personnel will often use the buttstock of a rifle to deliver impact forces, in addition to using the weapon in the normally intended manner (i.e., to fire projectiles). For example, military and/or law enforcement personnel may use the buttstock to force an object into a desired position, to smash a window or door or to strike an opponent in close quarters combat.
Known firearm buttstocks that are formed from polymeric materials are well suited for balancing factors such as weight, cost and performance associated with normal use conditions of a firearm. Unfortunately, known firearm buttstocks are less well suited for the various alternative conditions of use to which the buttstocks are often put, such as delivering impact forces, for example. As such, it is believe desirable to develop a firearm buttstock construction that improves the strength and robustness of firearm buttstocks, such as those formed from polymeric materials, for example. It is also believed desirable to provide this increased strength and/or robustness without substantially increasing the weight of the buttstock assembly.